For many of our guests this cake is in the running for their very favourite

Every changeover day I make something for our Tom’s and Douglas’s Barns guests arriving that afternoon, and in the interlude, John, Janet and Carol or whoever’s helping us that day will also all enjoy a slice or two before our guests arrive.

It is never a hardship for me, as I love baking (indeed all cooking) and it is always nice to do be doing it when you know how appreciative the eater/s tend to be. When we first started Tom’s Barn I made a cake because I simply thought that is what one did – we always have something in our tins in the house, to be produced when anyone drops in! We hadn’t realised that it would become something a bit special. Non-bakers particularly are amazed and experienced bakers usually ask for the recipe…

I have been asked for this Black Treacle & Stem Ginger Cake recipe several times recently. In fact, I fondly but wrongly thought it was already in the blog recipe section, but now it really is. It is a very favourite recipe of us all, and all credit must go to Mary Berry for the original recipe, adapted slightly by me over the years.

Tom’s and Douglas’s Barn Black Treacle & Ginger Cake
(Adapted from a Mary Berry recipe)

Cake
225g soft butter or margarine
175g caster sugar
225g black treacle or sometimes I use molasses
275g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
4 eggs
4 tbsp milk
3 bulbs stem ginger chopped finely
Generous handful chopped/broken pecans or walnuts

Measure all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix for about 2 minutes, either by hand or in an electric mixer. Pour into a non-stick (or lined with greased foil) deep baking dish approx 9”x12”. I use the small Aga baking tin

Bake at 180’C/Gas 4 or in the top oven of an Aga with the cold plain sheet hanging on the second set of runners until it looks cooked i.e. firm and golden brown. I start looking after about 30 minutes.

Icing
125g icing sugar (more probably!)
About 4 tbsp stem ginger syrup from the jar (use more if you have taken more icing sugar)
Handful chopped nuts and ideally more finely chopped than I have in this photo!

Mix all together to get a good spreading consistency and spread over the baked cake.
Sprinkle with chopped nuts